diff --git a/src/renderer/src/assets/terminal.css b/src/renderer/src/assets/terminal.css
index 3496db1fc7e..e7b5afe5030 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/assets/terminal.css
+++ b/src/renderer/src/assets/terminal.css
@@ -31,6 +31,12 @@
   overflow-y: scroll;
 }
 
+/* Round the xterm DOM scrollbar thumb; xterm has no option for this, and its
+   default .xterm-slider has square corners. */
+.xterm .xterm-scrollable-element > .xterm-scrollbar > .xterm-slider {
+  border-radius: 4px;
+}
+
 /* xterm.css sets position:absolute;top:0 on .xterm-helpers but omits left,
    leaving left:auto. In Electron's Blink, left:auto can resolve to a non-zero
    value and offset the IME candidate window away from the cursor. Anchoring it
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/compose-active-terminal-theme.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/compose-active-terminal-theme.test.ts
index 4e493598a47..97e81b97135 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/compose-active-terminal-theme.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/compose-active-terminal-theme.test.ts
@@ -12,10 +12,30 @@ describe('composeActiveTerminalTheme', () => {
     } as GlobalSettings
   }
 
-  it('returns the base theme when no overrides apply', () => {
+  it('layers terminal scrollbar defaults under the base theme', () => {
     const base = { background: '#101010', foreground: '#fafafa', cursor: '#fafafa' }
     const result = composeActiveTerminalTheme(base, settingsWith({}))
-    expect(result).toEqual(base)
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      overviewRulerBorder: 'transparent',
+      scrollbarSliderBackground: 'rgba(180, 180, 185, 0.4)',
+      scrollbarSliderHoverBackground: 'rgba(180, 180, 185, 0.6)',
+      scrollbarSliderActiveBackground: 'rgba(180, 180, 185, 0.8)',
+      ...base
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('lets the base theme override terminal scrollbar defaults', () => {
+    const result = composeActiveTerminalTheme(
+      {
+        background: '#101010',
+        overviewRulerBorder: '#222222',
+        scrollbarSliderBackground: 'rgba(1, 2, 3, 0.4)'
+      },
+      settingsWith({})
+    )
+
+    expect(result!.overviewRulerBorder).toBe('#222222')
+    expect(result!.scrollbarSliderBackground).toBe('rgba(1, 2, 3, 0.4)')
   })
 
   it('layers terminalColorOverrides on top of the base theme', () => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-appearance.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-appearance.ts
index dafbb562bee..12e3bace3cb 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-appearance.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-appearance.ts
@@ -156,7 +156,19 @@ export function composeActiveTerminalTheme(
   if (!baseTheme) {
     return null
   }
-  let theme: ITheme = { ...baseTheme }
+  // Why: setting scrollbar.width enables xterm's overview ruler, whose border
+  // defaults to the foreground color and paints a bright vertical line beside
+  // the scrollbar. We only want the slimmer scrollbar, not the ruler chrome.
+  // Why: xterm's default slider alpha (~0.2) is nearly invisible on dark
+  // backgrounds; raise the contrast so the thumb reads. Placed before the
+  // spread so an explicit theme value still wins.
+  let theme: ITheme = {
+    overviewRulerBorder: 'transparent',
+    scrollbarSliderBackground: 'rgba(180, 180, 185, 0.4)',
+    scrollbarSliderHoverBackground: 'rgba(180, 180, 185, 0.6)',
+    scrollbarSliderActiveBackground: 'rgba(180, 180, 185, 0.8)',
+    ...baseTheme
+  }
   // Why: merge user-imported Ghostty color overrides on top of the resolved
   // base theme so individual colors can be tweaked without losing the rest.
   if (settings.terminalColorOverrides) {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-lifecycle.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-lifecycle.test.ts
index 825e5709562..d926a7707b9 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-lifecycle.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,10 @@ describe('buildDefaultTerminalOptions', () => {
     // silently breaks enhanced chords, especially inside tmux.
     expect(buildDefaultTerminalOptions().vtExtensions?.kittyKeyboard).toBe(true)
   })
+
+  it('uses xterm scrollbar options for the slimmer terminal scrollbar', () => {
+    expect(buildDefaultTerminalOptions().scrollbar?.width).toBe(7)
+  })
 })
 
 describe('attachWebgl', () => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-terminal-options.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-terminal-options.ts
index 39bf07c6bab..814b732972c 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-terminal-options.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/pane-manager/pane-terminal-options.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ export function buildDefaultTerminalOptions(): ITerminalOptions {
     fontWeight: '300',
     fontWeightBold: '500',
     scrollback: 10000,
+    // Why: xterm 6.x renders its own DOM scrollbar (default 14px), which no CSS
+    // on .xterm-viewport can resize. Slim it via the option. Setting width also
+    // enables the overview ruler, whose border is hidden via overviewRulerBorder
+    // in composeActiveTerminalTheme.
+    scrollbar: {
+      width: 7
+    },
     allowTransparency: false,
     // Why: on macOS, non-US layouts rely on Option to compose characters like @ and €.
     macOptionIsMeta: false,